I'll Be There
by Kaimelar Feylove
Summary: Jane is badly hurt in a car wreck and her chances of making it are not assured. Daria and Trent have to support each other though their worry for the person they care for most… Chapter 3 up
1. Crying over Jane

**Because of my obsessive need to multi-task, I have decided to start the beginning of a new story while the first chapter of my first story ("What Happens Next?" nope… no shameless plugs here) is still wet on the page. This one is a different tone from the other. I tried to be more serious... I'm also planning on staying away from teh romantics in this story, although the events here it will most assuredly be referred to in other stories... well you'll see… I'll continue the babble after you've had a chance to be appalled by the story itself.  
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**Also, it's weird how coincidence works….. I got the idea for this story while in English… as soon as the professor let us leave, I headed home, working on sentences and voicing premature dialogue in my head.. I have a habit of that. Well, my college is at the end of a small dead end road, and when pulling out of that road (after getting _my_ green light) I was rammed in the passenger side by a big truck… luckily no one was hurt, and it didn't even really dent my, or his, car.. He was going slowly enough when he hit me that it was more of a bump… but still, considering that I was thinking of a car accident story, it was a strange… at least to me… **

**Anyway… on to the story…**

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The blue Lexus screeched to a halt in fount of the Lane house. Daria jumped out and slammed the door, running up to the house. She didn't even bother knocking, as was her custom, but opened the door and entered the all too quiet house.

"Trent?" She called softly, looking into the living room. No one. Without wasting time she headed upstairs. As she reached the top step she heard a strange sound; the sound of someone sobbing. It made her heart want to break. She followed the sound to Trent's bedroom door, pushing it open wider. There he was, sitting on the edge of his unmade bed, disheveled and sobbing with his head in his hands.

That morning when Daria had woken up, she had thought about what life would be like now. She and Jane had just emancipated themselves from high school hell and were looking forward to going to college in the same city. Daria herself had removed the final thorn in the side of their friendship, Tom, and things had never looked better for her.

That's why Trent's call had been such a blow. All she had really been able to understand from the distressed voice on the phone was "Janey" and "wreck" and "hospital." With that, she had promptly grabbed the keys to her father's car and sped toward Casa de Lane.

Now here she stood, looking at her best friend's brother, the man she herself had had a crush on since she met him, sobbing into his own hands out of fear for the person they both cared so much for.

"Trent?" She said, very softly. He looked up at her, his normally impassive face streaked with tears, his eyes red. Daria stopped caring about being timid in that instance and rushed forward to embrace him. He welcomed and returned the embrace, squeezing her tightly and she felt yet more tears began to soak the shirt she wearing. "Trent what happened? I could barely understand you on the phone. What's wrong with Jane?"

Trent let his grip loosen slightly and Daria slid down to sit next to him on the bed.

"Uh..." He sniffed, picking up a shirt off the floor to wipe his face on, calming down enough to talk. "The hospital called. They said she was in a car wreck… Some drunk driver or something." He looked at Daria, the fear in his eyes evident. "Daria, they said she's hurt really badly. They said," He stopped, swallowing hard. "They said she might not make it…"

Daria felt as though her heart had stopped beating. Her mouth went dry and she tried to swallow but couldn't. "Jane…" she croaked. She wanted to cry, to scream, but she couldn't. She was frozen in her place. She felt Trent's arm go around her shoulders. His other hand was gripping hers with such a powerful force that it was almost painful, but Daria didn't care; she gripped his hand back. She had to hold on to something to keep from going completely insane.

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Ok, I'm back. I just wanted to put in a word to explain why this is a kinda strange story. I let the words come as they would with this story. I know that the characters are much too out of character, even for me normally, but I felt in this instance, the break in character is justified. I would think that anyone who's ever had a loved one in danger might agree with me. I know when I'm in that situation, I would do many things that I normally wouldn't. I'd appreciate feedback, but I always know that they are out of character. I promise to try and keep them in character better in my other stories. Please don't hurt me… puppy face**

**Also, no, I don't know why Trent is crying so much. It's just in seeing Trent and Jane react to one another on the show, I always had in mind that they had a much deeper love for each other than they show on the surface. You know, the only two in the family that really stick together. I'm jealous really… I wish I had a sibling I could relate to the way they do… Maybe I'm taking his concern over the top, but he did just find out his sister is on the edge of death... also there are guiltily feeling on his part which are discussed in the next segment… so I'm living with it for now… maybe it will tone down when/if there is a rewrite…**

**For the most part I'm ok with this… I have a lot more than just this chapter done… this part was the easy part to write and edit…. I've gotten to that point now where I'm forces lines and such (which I hate in writing), so I decided to put some up and see how the flow works…**

**I also don't really like my title, but I'm at a loss for anything better… Damn clog in the creative juices…**

**Oki I'll stop now so you can review…**

**Kai**


	2. Waiting for News

**Chapter one by itself was waaaay too short… I didn't realize just how short until it was posted up. Sorry. So, here's a little more:**

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Daria was shaking all over as she drove to the hospital. Jane was hurt; badly. What was going to happen? What if Jane… _'Stop it, Morgendorffer.'_ She chided herself. _'She'll be alright. She'll be just fine.'_

Trent was sitting in the passenger seat. He had stopped crying but now he was sitting slumped over, looking totally defeated.

'_His little sister is in trouble; and this time there is nothing her big brother can do to help.'_ Daria thought, taking quick glance at him. Jane had told her before how much they meant to each other. Jane and Trent were undoubtedly the closest of the Lane children.

When they pulled into the hospital parking lot, Daria parked in the first spot she saw, and at first neither of them moved.

"Daria… I'm scared." Trent said quietly after a moment.

Daria reached over and put her hand on top of his. "Me too, Trent."

He looked up at her with sad, but grateful eyes and squeezed her hand. "Thanks for doing this... It means a lot."

Daria wasn't sure what to say. Words, normally her strong suit, were not coming easily at the moment. "I'm just glad you called me." She took a deep, steadying breath. "Come on," she said, squeezing his hand one last time and opening her door. "Let's go in and see about Jane."

They walked into the hospital reception room still holding on to each other, both too afraid to let go of the other. A plump older woman sat at the desk and looked up as they entered.

"May I help you?" She addressed her question to Trent, but it was Daria who answered, knowing Trent was frazzled enough.

"We're here to see Jane Lane. She came into the ER... a car accident." Daria kept her voice as calm as possible, even though she wanted to run though the hospital looking for her friend.

"Let's see," the woman started looking though files on the computer. "Ah, here she is," She declared after a few minutes of searching. "She still in surgery, but you can go wait in the 5th floor waiting room and the doctor will find you there. But I need you to sign in here." She added handing them a clipboard half filled with names of other hospital visitors. Daria took the pen and fought to still her hand long enough to write her name. Trent took the pen silently and wrote his name quickly, handing it back to the plump lady when he was done.

"The elevators are just around the corner," she said, with a small smile at their worried faces. "I'm sure you're friend will be alright" she added, with a cheery, supposed to be reassuring smile, but it didn't help.

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"Why is it taking so long?" Trent burst out after they had sat in the waiting room for forty-five minutes with not so much as a scrap of news. Daria didn't answer. The wait and lack of news was driving them both crazy. Trent put his hands over his face again. 

"This is all my fault," He said through his hands.

"How can this be your fault? You didn't put the idiot in his car."

"But I put Janey there." He dropped his hands, and Daria could see self-loathing on his face. "She asked if I would drive her, but Jesse and I were up late last night practicing, so I told her to take my car."

Daria didn't understand. "So? Jane is perfectly capable of driving."

"But if I had been driving…" He started, but Daria cut him off, seeing his point.

"I you had been driving then I would be sitting here alone worrying about two of my friends." She snapped. She wasn't angry at him, but the thought of having them both hurt, or worse, brought the previously pushed back tears back to the surface.

"But Janey might not have been hurt..." Trent said quietly.

"Then she'd be sitting here worrying over you. Don't you see Trent, no matter how it _could_ have worked out, this is how it _did_. Now all we can do is hope that Jane will be alright." Daria swallowed hard to keep from crying.

Trent knew he had upset her now, and looking over he saw her eyes brimming with tears. This was the most emotion he had ever seen her show, and in a way it frightened him, yet at the same time, he knew he was seeing the real Daria, not the mask she put up for everyone else's benefit. He reached out and put his arm around her shoulders again.

"Jane's lucky to have you as a friend, Daria." He said, hugging her to him. "And so am I."

Daria smiled a little as the tears started to fall.

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Yes, sappy I know… but hey it's a stressful time..**

**Enjoy berating me with reviews…**

**Kai**


	3. Aftermath

**I wanted to write more, but my brain's in a fog. Combination of a huge term paper, finals rearing their ugly heads and a tad of writers block. For those of you who are still reading, sorry this took so long, and I appreciate the comments so very much. It was those that made me haul this out and finish this part of it.**

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Another half-hour passed with no news. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Daria and Trent heard footsteps and looked up to see a tall, graying man in a white coat standing at the entrance of the small waiting room.

"Are you here about Ms. Lane?" the doctor asked, looking at them. Daria found this a very stupid question, being that they were the only people in the room, but she held her tongue. Being a smart ass wasn't important right now.

"I'm her brother," Trent said, sitting upright. The doctor smiled and sat down in a chair opposite them. Daria put her hand on Trent's shoulder and felt him put his hand over hers, holding it tightly. This was it; the moment of truth.

"Well, Mr. Lane, your sister, despite multiple broken bones, a few mild concussions and a small amount of internal bleeding, seems to be pulling though very nicely. We're going to keep her here, probably for about a week, just until all the dangerous problems are under control.

"You mean... She'll be alright?" Trent's haggard face broke into the warmest smile Daria had ever seen on him. He turned to Daria, wrapping his arms around her to hug her again. "She's gonna be alright," he repeated to himself again over Daria's shoulder. Daria just laughed in relief.

After a moment, the doctor cleared his throat, bringing the two back to earth. "She should be waking up soon. If you want, you can go see her now."

Trent nodded, standing up. Daria followed and the doctor looked at her. "Are you her sister?" he asked.

"Um… no I'm her friend," Daria said, her heart already sinking. She knew where this was going.

"I'm sorry, but only family can go into intensive care rooms."

"Oh," Daria said frowning. "Well I'll just wait..." but Trent stopped her and looked at the doctor.

"Daria's as close as a sister to Jane as anyone can get. She needs to come."

The doctor nodded. "I understand… but if anyone asks you, you are her sister," He said to Daria with a smile. "Please follow me; I'll take you to her."

As they walked out of the waiting room, Daria looked up at Trent and whispered, "Thanks." Trent just flashed a small smile.

The doctor was talking about Jane. "Apparently when the paramedics got to the scene she was still semi conscious and making jokes about her brother's car. She's a strong girl. That's always a deciding factor in cases like this." He stopped and opened a door, looking in. "Looks like she stirring. Go on in... But you probably shouldn't stay too long. About 15, maybe 20, minutes at most, then you can come back tomorrow."

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"I would have figured you'd be the one with your feet, urm… _foot_ up, while we were out there worrying." Daria said to her friend, who was lying in the hospital bed with her cast covered leg propped up. She noted that many of the major injuries seemed to be on her left side, including some cuts, most notably one large on her left cheek, that had been stitched up. 

"Well you know me, amiga. Always lying about." Jane said, with a tired, pained smile. She hadn't been out of the anesthesia long and was still somewhat groggy.

Trent went to his sister's side and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Hey Janey." Jane smiled up at him.

"How ya doing, bro?" Jane asked, moving her good arm to help her sit up, but not making much progress. "You don't look so good." She looked over at Daria. "Neither do you, as a matter of fact."

"You're one to talk," Daria said dryly, sitting in one of the chairs next to the bed.

"Hey, I went though a lot to get this look. What's your excuse?" Jane retorted in a friendly way. The lighthearted banter was doing them all good, assuring all three that Jane really was going to be ok.

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Halfway home from the hospital, Daria realized she was in for it when she eventually went home. In the rush after Trent's call, she had left no indication of where she was going, taken the car and left. Her father had still been asleep, something that had been happening a lot since he had started the vacation for his stress that the doctors recommended. Her mother was long gone to work, but by now they would have realized that both the car and the eldest daughter were missing. 

Thinking about the chaos that would ensue as soon as she contacted her family, Daria sighed to herself. Hearing this, the normally oblivious Trent looked up.

"What is it?" he asked as they pulled up in front of his house.

Daria looked over at him and turned off the car. "Are we going back to the hospital tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Trent said, and then added, "Well at least I am. But seeing as I don't have a car..." He trailed off. "I guess I could ask Max to borrow the Tank."

Daria sighed again. "I need to come in and borrow your phone," she said as they got out of the car. "Maybe I can convince my mother that this is a situation in which it would be alright to let me borrow the car for awhile. Dad's going to be at home working on his pesto and gumbo recipes for the next week or so." She paused for a moment, reflecting on what she had just said and what it meant. "Actually, do you think I could just sleep over here? I could stay in Jane's room, or if the paint fumes are too heavy I could stay in Penny's room like before or something. Then we could go back to the hospital whenever we want."

"I don't mind," Trent said opening the front door and leading the way into the house. "But isn't your mom kind of… well, uptight?"

Daria grimaced. "Yeah."

"Hello?" The voice on the other end of the phone was steeped in a slightly frantic undertone. Daria grimaced, wishing she had called home earlier to avoid this.

"It's me." She said, and moved the phone away from her ear a little as her mother's voice involuntary raised a few notches.

"Daria, thank God! What were you thinking taking the car and not leaving a note! You could have been dead on the road for all we knew..."

Daria broke in to her mother's rant, knowing she would go on forever if she wasn't stopped soon. "You're talking to the wrong person. Jane's in the hospital."

There was a pause from the other end. "My god, Daria, is she okay? Are you?"

"She was in Trent's car," Daria reassured her. "And the doctor said she should be alright. Trent called me this morning, so I took the car and we went to the hospital. Now I'm calling to ask if I can keep the car for awhile because I'm staying here tonight. I'll probably come by in a little while to get some extra clothes and stuff. See you then." She hung up before he mother could start again, partly because she knew Helen would ask about Trent and he had just walked into the room.

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I know it's not the best read, but just think, the next scene will be Daria dealing with dear Helen. I know you all want to see that, so hold your stones. I will get more up A.S.A.P. I promise. Just think, only one more week, till I'm pretty much free for the summer. Then I can write to your hearts content.**

**Peace.**

**Out.**

**Kai**


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